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Steppe Ride-horsetrails to the camels

^{8 Days / 7 Nights}

Itinerary (Ulaanbaatar - On horseback - Camel ride - Ulaanbaatar)

A horseback journey across the Mongolian steppelands is an experience not available elsewhere on Earth. Steppe habitats once made up 25 percent of the global land area. Today the Pampas, the puszta, the Prairies and the Ukraine have largely been developed for agricultural output. Only the Mongolian steppes have survived. The high elevation of Mongolia creates unusually clear air - all the year round. It is an overwhelming visual experience of emptiness and vastness to ride across the completely silent treeless steppes stretching away into the distance: not a fence, no trace of human activity except for the pastoralists, no telegraph poles, no haze whatsoever and the horizon is sharp.

Brief Outline Itinerary
The bus will take us out of Ulaanbaatar to the south, across the Bogdkhan mountain, and some 80-90 km over the treeless steppes until finding a family of famous horse breeders and their gers. The bus will be our support vehicle, and our cook, equipment’s and provisions will travel separately in it. We will select some good riding horses among the hundreds available, saddle up, and ride until the steppes start to give way for the Gobi sands. We will make one day of camel riding, and then continue on horseback.

Day 1 : Ulaanbaatar
Arrive the Mongolian capital and transfer to the hotel.

Day 2 : To Southern
A.m. Drive south across the Bogdkhan mountain passing Zuunmod, and continue across the steppes. Pitch camp by horse breeding nomads. Selection of horses, which are being caught by "urga", the Mongolian pole lasso. Horse riding briefing and try riding. Overnight in tents.

Day 3-4 : On horseback
Ride for two full days across the steppes in a southerly direction. Our wranglers are relatives to one third of all the nomadic families in the area. No doubt, you will be invited into their gers to try airag, fermented mares milk. Overnight in tents.

Day 5 : Camel ride
Spent the night near a family that own one hundred Bactrian camels. Some of them are trained to ride, and today you will ride half day on camels along a 20 km long sand dune, on these giants of the deserts. You will make a circle and come back to the same camp.

Day 6 : On horseback
Continued ride across the steppes, but we will skirt a mountain area where there are argali sheep (Ovis ammon). The largest wild sheep in the world is rare, and difficult to actually get to see. Overnight in tents.

Day 7 : To Ulaanbaatar
A.m. Return to Ulaanbaatar in the bus. P.m. In Ulaanbaatar.

Day 8 : Departure
Transfer out to your next destination.

PRACTICALITIES
Our Mongolia associates have introduced a concept of practical and desirable ways of travel in Mongolia, which is the synergy of Western and Mongolian ideas brought about after many years experience of travel all across Mongolia. We emphasize the quality of human contacts and encounters with local people. Respect for the horse and local equestrian traditions, from which many lessons can be learnt. Shared adventures. To travel with us means living with the horses and the yaks in the great outdoors, choosing the life of the nomad. An active holiday calling for some effort but with moments of complete relaxation and pleasure.

TRANSPORT : Mongolian families frequently move from one pasture to the other using wooden traditional carts. These are tied to the animals available in the region. Here we will use yaks and horses: the services of some herdsmen will be hired by the expedition, and they will provide us with their animals.

STAFF : A Mongolian local guide will accompany the group at all times. A cook will follow, with an assistant. In addition, the services of the local herdsmen will be hired along with their animals. The horsemen will come from Ganbold and Batbadrakhs families. They follow a traditional lifestyle in the areas where you will be riding.

MEALS : The meals will be prepared by our cook. We pride ourselves in having cooks adapt with both western and Mongolian cooking on our trips.
There is always vegetables available, and we have no problem accommodating vegetarians on our trips. For breakfast you can usually buy fresh yogurt from the herdsmen in the local area.